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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: capital · kid · toast · leaves · pop · row · jam · hand

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. toast — bread
  5. row — a line
  6. hand — in cards
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. capital — a city
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. pop — to visit
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. row — to paddle
  19. kid — to tease
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. pop — soda
  22. hand — help
  23. pop — music
  24. kid — child

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com